


Who the Hell is Molly?

by Elri



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Temporary Amnesia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-06-28 03:52:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15699612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elri/pseuds/Elri
Summary: In hindsight, they should have seen something like this coming. Everything had been going right...None of them were expecting to reach the grave site, and find it empty.





	1. Return to Zadash

**Author's Note:**

> This was started before Ep. 27, Converging Fury. As such, there are some liberties taken with canon due to the fact that I didn't want to try to rewrite my entire beginning. I really like Caduceus but it didn't feel right to me to include him in this type of fic
> 
> There are probably a bunch of these out there but fuck it I wanted to write one too
> 
> Special thanks to shada and burstingrages for your support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected surprises and taking a breath

In hindsight, they should have seen something like this coming. Everything had been going right, the Iron Shepherds were extremely dead, their friends had been rescued, Nila had her son and Keg had her revenge. Caduceus had bid them farewell in town, deciding to stay closer to the forest. They’d done the job so well they’d even managed to endear themselves to Ophelia’s good graces and now she was on her way back with them to the Gentleman. And, there was a priestess with them who was confident she’d be able to perform the resurrection. Fjord, Jester, and especially Yasha were still processing the emotional whiplash of “Our friend is dead but we’re going to get him back” but everyone was in good spirits.

None of them were expecting to reach the grave site, and find it empty.

The Might Nein froze in dead shock, almost crashing the horses into each other as they came to abrupt stops. The stick where they’d hung the coat was still in the ground, no coat to be seen, and the grave had been dug up seemingly from the inside out. Nott and Fjord jumped down to start scouting the area, Yasha and Jester readied their weapons, and Beau took a defensive position in front of Caleb as he cast Detect Magic.

“What is going on?” Ophelia demanded.

Beau pointed at the site, “There’s supposed to be a body in there. And it looks like he got out.”

“Is that a good thing?” The priestess asked hesitantly. “You were hoping to revive him.”

“We don’t know.” Beau looked around at the others and scanned the trees. “Supposedly, he’s done this before, but he doesn’t really know how that happened. You getting anything yet?” She asked Caleb.

“It’s hard to tell what’s left over from the fight and what’s newer, there’s a lot of unfamiliar magic here,” he said, eyes roaming the area, “If something magical did occur to do this, it was not recently.”

“He’s right,” Fjord called, “Based on snowfall it looks like the grave has been empty for a few days.”

“He must’ve followed the road,” Nott added from further into the treeline, “There’s no sign that he went through the forest.”

“He didn’t have any warm clothes,” Caleb said quietly, “All he has is the tapestry and his coat, if that was still there when he woke up.”

“We left him the note!” Nott reminded them, “We know exactly where he’s going.”

Yasha looked between them, a scared and worried look on her face, “He can’t read.”

“ **What!?”**

“He knows a few words, mostly names, but he never really saw a need to learn more. Something about reading people better than their words.”

Beau groaned and banged her head against her staff, “Goddammit! Ok, we know he’s out, and we know he’s on the road. There’s only two ways he could have gone and we just came from one of them.”

Fjord nodded, “So what you’re sayin’ is we pick up the pace and see if we can catch up or get where he’s gone.”

“Exactly.” She turned to the priestess, “He may still be in need of help, you might want to be ready.” With a nod to Ophelia, “Ma’am,” Beau motioned for everyone to get back on their horses and resume their guard circle. Jester took point, scanning the road and trees ahead for any sign of their brightly colored friend.

It was a long and disappointing trip back to the Empire border. They had considerably less trouble with the guards given that Ophelia’s influence reached far, but none of the guards on duty said they’d seen anyone matching their friend’s description. The road to Zadash was uneventful as well, not even a hint of the bandits they’d met twice before.

Nott joked that maybe they’d finally given up their life of crime so as not to risk another encounter with the Mighty Nein. Beau said they’d probably moved all the way across the Empire to get away. Jester said they’d all died of syphilis, setting off a round of giggles that left the priestess confused and Ophelia unimpressed.

Once they were outside of Zadash, they sent a message to the Gentleman so he could send an escort to a more “discreet” entry point. At the Evening Nip, they asked if “Lucien” had been seen anywhere in the area, giving him an abbreviated account of the story. He said nothing had been reported but that he would reach out to his network outside the city and gave them their payment for the jobs.

As they were heading out to get rooms for the night, Cree intercepted them. “What were you thinking?” She demanded. “You knew he had risen from the dead before and yet you still left him behind, buried!”

“We had a job to do,” Beau said coolly, tensing up as she resisted the urge to punch the tabaxi.

“You could have taken him with you somehow! What kind of friends just-“

“You buried him first.” Caleb stepped up, putting his hand on Beau’s shoulder. “You left him behind.”

“We didn’t know-“

He interrupted again, “You didn’t know what was going to happen? Let me guess, you had no idea what the ritual was supposed to do. You still don’t. Tell me, did you ever go back to the gravesite? Did you try at all to bring him back? Or did you just scatter and run, not caring about anything but yourselves?”

Cree stepped back, stammering “I-I-we-“

“ _We_ went to where there was a chance of finding someone to help. _We_ brought back a priestess to revive him. We are going to find him not because he is useful to us, not because we have invested time in him, but because he is _ours_ and we love him. Now if you will excuse us, we are going to regroup and figure out the next step in bringing him home.” With that, Caleb swept past her and up the stairs to the regular pub. The rest of the Mighty Nein followed behind, all ignoring Cree except for Jester who stuck her tongue out.

When they got outside, Nott moved up to Caleb’s side and gently took his hand, whispering just loud enough that only he could hear, “I wasn’t sure you’d really heard me. I’m proud of you, and we are definitely going to bring him home.” There was a light squeeze on her hand but nothing else.

The Leaky Tap was significantly less busy than the last time they had been there. Hell, the whole city felt off; the fear of war had finally sunk in. Wessek the Trim greeted them at the bar as they paid for rooms, drinks, and food, looking less jovial.

“Surprised to see you back,” He said, filling their tankards, “Most people who left got as far away as they could.”

“Why didn’t you leave,” Fjord asked, “If I might ask.”

“I’ve got a job to do here, just in case some fool adventurers have need of out services at the Leaky Tap.” He grinned at them.

“Ja,” Caleb agreed, “Sounds like a group of dumbasses.”

“Takes one to know one, asshole,” Beau lightly punched Caleb in the arm. A recently revived Frumpkin appeared on her shoulder and swatted her in the face with his tail before hopping across to rest in Nott’s lap.

“I meeeeean” Jester said, leaning into their conversation, “It does sound pretty stupid Beau.” She earned an affectionate noogie in response, giggling happily as Beau did her best to not get poked by her horns.

They stayed at the bar, chatting with Wessek as they ate and drank. It wasn’t until they got upstairs that they fell quiet, realizing they had a new problem to sort out.

Yasha was the first to speak, “Fjord can room with me.”

“Are you sure?” Fjord asked, “I don’t mind taking the floor in someone else’s room.”

“I mean,” Yasha shrugged, arms crossed awkwardly, “We’ve paid for the bed. And…I don’t really feel like sleeping by myself,” She quietly admitted.

Fjord nodded, “I understand that feeling.”

“I know!” Jester clapped her hands together, “What if we put a couple of beds together and make a fort out of the blankets and pillows! I used to do it all the time at home, it’s reeeeally cozy.”

The rest of the Mighty Nein looked at each other and shrugged. No one wanted to say it out loud but they were all still a little uneasy being apart from each other. Besides, as well built as the Leaky Tap was, it was a cold night. So they pulled another bed into a room, squeezed all three together, and used the mats and blankets from the other rooms to build their fort. They tried to be quiet, not wanting to disturb anyone…or get in trouble.

The fort ended up being big enough that Caleb could tuck himself in a corner with his legs stretched out to make contact while allowing him an easy escape if he got overwhelmed. Nott tucked herself against his side, not an unfamiliar position for them. Yasha flanked the end closest to the door, Beau beside her, Jester and Fjord tucked in the middle. There was a gap, an absence that was felt, but each held the same resolve in their minds that it would not stay that way for long. Within a few minutes of turning off the lamp, everyone was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FLIPPED MY SHIT WHEN THEY "STOLE" MY SLEEPOVER IDEA  
> then i added the Hut to mine because that's cute


	2. On to Rexxentrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mighty Nein seeks out answers

They woke the next morning to a light knocking on the door. After a few silent glances, Nott took a position on the far side of the room with her crossbow at the ready, Fjord and Yasha backed up and flanked the door, and Jester and Caleb stepped out of view while Beau opened it. The familiar face of Kara looked out from under a hooded cloak.

“I have a message for you.”

“Do you want to come in?”

“I can’t stay, I just came to tell you that what you seek has been seen in Rexxentrum, and there is no further business required of you here if you wish to pursue it.”

“Thank you,” Beau and Kara nodded to each other and she closed the door, heart pounding.

Yasha was the first to speak, “We should go. Now.”

“We need to resupply,” Fjord said, “We need food and warm clothes for the road. If we split up and work fast we can be on the road in less than an hour.”

She clenched and unclenched her fists, barely moving but clearly restless, “Alright.”

“Beau and I will get food,” Jester said.

“Don’t just get a bunch of pastries,” Fjord told her.

“Fiiine,” Jester pouted a little before grabbing Beau’s hand and leading her out of the room.

“With permission, I would like to get supplies of my own, for spells and such,” Caleb said.

Fjord nodded, “Alright; Nott, I’m guessing you’re goin’ with him?”

“Yep!” She followed close behind and left the room with Caleb.

“That leaves clothes,” Fjord looked at Yasha, “You want to wait here or come with?”

“I’ll come with you.”

True to word, in about 45 minutes the rooms were put back in order and the Mighty Nein were packed and ready to go. Yasha took point on her horse, Jester steered the cart while Nott and Caleb rode in it, Fjord and Beau rode alongside. When they stopped for the night, Beau volunteered for first watch and Caleb was quick to join her. Even with the Tiny Hut they had now, they didn’t want to wake up to face a threat that was right on top of them.

“Beau,” Caleb said quietly when he was sure the others couldn’t hear, “You realize where we’re going, ja?”

“Rexxentrum,” She frowned, gripping her staff a little tighter, “Where we know the dickhead was going to.”

“Just to be sure, because we have met several ‘dickheads’ on our journeys, you are talking about-“

“Ikithon.” She nodded. “We’re going to have to keep a low-profile.”

“The Gentleman has contacts in the city, maybe we can get in touch with them so we don’t have to draw attention while asking around.”

“We probably should have gotten names or something, sent word ahead.” Beau sighed and sat down, letting her hair down so she could run her fingers through it, “This could have been planned out a little better.”

“Probably,” Caleb agreed, sitting down next to her, “But I don’t think any of us wanted to wait another second.”

“Yeah,” Beau smiled a little, “Jester barely even stopped to look at the pastry shops.”

“Are we sure the world is not ending?” He was joking but they both thought about it a little too long and fell into silence.

Fjord and Nott took the next watch. Nott hoped that the change in pairs would keep Fjord from obsessively thinking about the night he and the others were captured. He seemed to blame himself for what happened to Molly, and Nott could see why his mind would take that route, but he hadn’t said anything and she wasn’t going to press. She did leave her flask in the hut, no need to make him more nervous.

The night passed without event and they were on the road as soon as the sun rose, setting off at a brisk pace. Within the next few days they arrived at the gates of Rexxentrum, disguising as many of them as they could so as not to draw too much attention. Yasha had to be hid under stuff in the cart sine there wasn’t really a “discreet” option for her.

They managed to find a reasonably priced, well-kept inn and acquired two rooms, more for the sake of appearances (and extra beds). Jester sent a message to the Gentleman asking how to get in touch with his contacts and, after telling her not to message at random times when “one never knows what one might be interrupting” he passed along the location of his Rexxentrum base with the password and a message to deliver; something about late payments and a deadline. It sounded vaguely threatening, they tried not to worry about it too much.

At the base, they delivered the message and tracked down the people who had reported the sighting, talking to each of them separately to get as many details as possible. When they came back together, they barely had more answers and definitely more questions. There was no doubt about who they had seen, but the circumstances were a bit hazy. The way the sources described it one second word is being passed from guard station to guard station wondering what they’re supposed to do and the next it seems like every guard in the city is trying to clear a path directly to the Cerberus Assembly.

“Directly to Ikithon,” Caleb muttered, clutching a warm mug between his hands.

“That’s good, right?” Fjord asked, a little confused by the weird mood Caleb, Nott, Beau, and even Yasha seemed to be in all of a sudden.

“He’s…sketchy,” Beau said. “He seemed to be unusually interested in Yasha when we talked to him at the after-party.”

“I don’t like him,” Yasha said.

“Me neither,” Nott agreed, taking a long swig from her flask.

“But who else can we talk to?” Jester asked, tail flicking anxiously. She could see that her friends were upset but they really had a limited number of options.

“I can reach out to the Cobalt Soul,” Beau said, “See if anyone’s heard anything. Plus, we’re in the heart of the criminal underground, maybe someone here has information on the general activity going on in the Cerberus Assembly.”

“Alright,” Fjord conceded, “It definitely wouldn’t hurt to try and get more info before we jump into anything. Caleb, why don’t you go with Beau, knowledge is kinda your thing right?”

Beau leaned back and held out her arms in mock offense, “What am I, just a walking wall of muscle?”

“No, Yasha’s a wall,” Jester said, “You’re more like a fancy pillar.”

“Thanks, Jes.” Beau nudged Caleb, “C’mon, no point staying here and being insulted. If we’re not back in an hour and a half, start worrying.”

“Good luck.”


	3. Recon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which secrets are revealed and plans are made

They regrouped at the Leaky Tap, huddling into a corner where they could make sure no one was listening in. Caleb had messaged Nott saying he and Beau were going to take a back route to be safe so the others were settled in when two cloaked figures came in. They looked around and headed for the back table, Beau pulling her hood down and Caleb dropping his disguise. Nott breathed a sigh of relief and put away her crossbow from where it was hiding under the table. Both had grim looks on their faces.

“What did you find out?” Jester asked.

“Apparently Ikithon has unexpectedly taken on a new student.” Beau said, leaning in on crossed arms. Caleb took a seat, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched forward.

“Fuck,” Nott took a large swig, passing the flask to Caleb.

“What’s wrong?” Jester looked between the three of them.

“There…is something you should know…” Caleb took a deep breath and began telling them an abbreviated version of the story he’d told Beau and Nott all those nights ago. He left out the parts about his parents, not ready to relive that or face the others’ reactions, but told them all about the other things he did under Ikithon’s instruction. By the end, Jester was almost in tears, Fjord was visibly struggling to hold it together, and Yasha was more impassive than usual.

“That’s why you’re worried about the Cerberus Assembly,” Fjord finally said. He turned to Beau, “You already knew?”

“I kinda blackmailed it out of him,” Beau admitted, staring at the table. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

“It’s alright.” Caleb shrugged, “It was going to come out at some point. Better that you all know now instead of finding out later.”

Fjord nodded, “Now that we do know, what do we do now?”

“We go in and demand our friend back.” Yasha’s expression was stormy as she stood, hands slammed on the table. It looked like she was about to shift into her scary skeletal winged form.

“We will.” Beau moved so she was directly in Yasha’s line of sight. “Yasha, look at me,  _ we are going to get him back _ . If we have to tear the place apart stone by stone, plank by plank, until we find him, we will Do It. But we need a plan, otherwise we can’t help anybody.”

Her words bring Yasha back from her rage, leaving her shaking with emotion as she now braces herself on the table to stay upright. Slowly, Yasha sits back down, taking a few deep breaths as she lets out the last of the blind fury.

“Ok, let’s make a plan.”

 

The next day, Beau, Jester, and Fjord set out towards the Soltryce Academy, with Frumpkin tucked just into the Bag of Holding. Caleb, Nott, and Yasha hid in an alley near the academy where they could rush in if Caleb heard anything alarming. After a long series of being redirected to another side of the building or being made to stand and wait for someone else to try to help them, they finally left with short tempers and part of an answer.

Ikithon had secluded himself in his house (“mansion” Caleb had muttered, still in trance, causing Yasha and Nott to exchange confused looks) in the upper part of the city in order to work on a “project” with his new student. The word alone sent a creeping feeling down their spines, too reminiscent of the hell they’d just left behind.

“Lotta crafty people working on ‘projects’ these days,” Beau grumbled as they headed towards the others. “I like yours better, Jester.”

“What’s the plan now?” Nott asked when they were back together, “Storm the house, get him out, and run?”

“Nein,” Caleb curled his fingers in Frumpkin’s fur, shoulders up near his ears, “The house is protected.”

“We’ve gotten past guards before,” Fjord pointed out.

“Not guards, spells and wards and who knows what-the-fuck-else. He’s constantly changing them, working on them. He keeps the best spells for himself, to use “on behalf of the Empire” as he sees fit. We have no way of knowing what we will be up against, there is no way to plan.”

“We have a plan,” Beau said, “do whatever it takes.”

“That’s more of a plan than we had when we stormed the dungeon,” Nott pointed out, “and we killed it there.”

Beau smirked, “Along with every last bastard in the place.”

“You were also almost killed by a magic carpet last time we tried to invade an official’s house,” Caleb reminded her.

“It was  _ one  _ time!”

“Alright,” Fjord held up his hands, “We at least need a plan for if all the shit goes downhill.”

Nott perked up, “I can make an explosive!”

“No!” Fjord responded, a little forcefully, before taking a deep breath, “Last time there was an explosion at an official’s house things almost got really bad. We got lucky, I don’t want to count on us getting lucky again.”

“ _ Tech _ nically,” Jester said, “That wasn’t our fault. Technically.”

“I agree with Fjord,” Caleb said, “I do not want to push our luck.”

There was a long pause as they considered their options. Beau absentmindedly pulled out Molly’s cards and shuffled them, pulling out three on a whim. The first showed a devilish looking character, one that looked oddly familiar, though that may have just been the horns; the second showed scales, like the ones her tutors had used to symbolize justice and balance; the third showed a happy looking sun. She stared at them for what felt like an eternity, the sounds of the city beyond the alley fading away.

Then the sounds of people flooded in around her: people calling out their wares, parents calling children, friends and neighbors greeting each other as they passed each other. A smile began to creep onto Beau’s face.

“Maybe,” She said, getting the others’ attention, “We need to make our own luck.”

Jester grinned at the look on Beau’s face, “You have a plan, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah. Huddle up, we only get one shot at this, let’s make it count.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The meanings of the cards played kind of a minimal role here since Beau doesn't know them. I tried to play more to obvious symbolism.  
> Get ready! Next chapter I'm hoping to break some hearts (and put them back together again)


	4. Rescues and Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things once lost are found again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Thank you all so much for your patience, may the Traveler bless you all!

To say that Trent Ikithon was surprised to see the Mighty Nein waiting for him in his foyer would be…presumptuous. Truthfully, it was hard to tell what he was thinking as he came down the stairs.

“Welcome. I was wondering if I would be seeing you. Come, we have much to discuss.”

“Where is he?” Beau asked, arms crossed and expression defiant.

“All in good time, come along now.” He started walking towards the back of the mansion, leaving them little choice but to follow.

Beau took the lead, Fjord close behind, and Yasha brought up the rear. Caleb did his best to stay inconspicuous in the middle, hood pulled up around his face. Ikithon led them through a series of hallways in what felt like was an impossible route. They could’ve sworn that twice they made turns that should have taken them back to where they’d already been but nothing seemed to repeat.

Finally, they made it to an office that embodied the essence of the word “lair.” Dark wood shelves lined the walls, filled with books and jars and gadgets and a bone that they didn’t really want to think too much about. There were no windows, the bit of wall that they could see was painted navy blue, matching the carpet that muffled their footsteps. The desk was made of the same wood as the shelves, its carved decorations blended into the base making them hard to distinguish. Behind the desk was a grand, leather upholstered chair, in front were two plain wooden chairs that did not look comfortable. If there had ever been a more obvious attempt at a furniture based power move, none of them could think of one.

“Have a seat, make yourselves comfortable,” Ikithon waved a hand in the direction of the other chairs, walking around the desk to his own. When he turned back, the Mighty Nein had moved in enough that they were all in the room, but none of them moved towards the chairs. “Have it your way then.” He sat down, moving some papers around to draw out the silence. “Now then, we have things we need to talk about.”

“We’re not interested in talking,” Beau told him, “We’re just here for one thing.”

“Of course, but you must realize that as someone who is responsible for the safety of the Empire and its people I can’t just hand over such a valuable asset. Not when it fell into my hands so easily. However I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement-“

“Not interested.”

“Now now, Beauregard? Isn’t it? I know you’re probably used to punching your way through an argument but this really isn’t the place for that. Though it might be amusing to watch you try.”

“We’re not here to argue, either,” Fjord said, “We’re just here for one thing.”

“Yes, so you said.” Ikithon leaned back, fingertips pressed together, and looked over the group. “You certainly are an interesting bunch, I’m sure how you met is a fascinating story. But we are here for business, so let’s get to it. I have your friend, he’s here in the mansion. You’ll never find him without my help so don’t bother. I’m willing to return him to your company, but I require an equal exchange.”

“You want one of us to become one of your toy soldiers.” Caleb finally stepped forward, hood pushed back. “It won’t work, we know your lies.”

“Caleb.” Ikithon’s expression didn’t change but the sneer was evident in his tone. “I wondered where you’d ended up, though I had my suspicions during the Victory Pit. It’s a shame Astrid and Eowulf couldn’t be here, we could’ve had a happy little reunion.”

“Fick dich.”

“Hmph, so much wasted potential, what a pity. I should just throw you back in the asylum, or kill you now and be done with it. As for your,” He waved his hand, “ _friends_ here, I’m sure I could find something to do with them.”

“You could,” Beau said with a smirk, “But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“This should be interesting, and why not?”

“Because the whole damn city is waiting for our triumphant return.”

Word gets around quickly, even in a big city, when it’s something of significance (and when it’s being aided by a group of assholes that generally have the subtlety of a dwarf in full-plate armor going down stairs). The Mighty Nein, champions of the Victory Pit and heroes of Alfield, after hearing that their dear companion (who they’d thought to be tragically lost forever after a run-in with a group of miscreants on the road) had been found and brought to Rexxentrum where he had been generously looked after by none other than Trent Ikithon. And now, the Mighty Nein had come to town to recover their beloved friend and thank the Archmage for his benevolence.

Did it make them gag just trying to get the words out? Yes. Did they lay it on thick? Absolutely. But did the people of Rexxentrum leap on the chance to celebrate good news and rally behind the reunification of the Mighty Nein? Fuck yes.

Beau’s smirk had grown into a grin as she described the Mighty Nein’s morning activities. “So you see, even if you get us out of the way and cover your tracks with whatever lies you want, just imagine the effect it would have on the morale of your people. Either their heroes turn out to be traitors of the Empire, because let’s face it you’re not letting go of an old classic, or we leave unfulfilled in our quest…”

“Or I hand him over and you leave like the heroes you think you are.” There was something satisfying about the way Ikithon’s face twisted into a frown. “Very well, since I can see you’re going to be difficult about this, perhaps I should give you an idea of what you’re up against.” He stood and walked to one of the bookshelves. The Mighty Nein tensed, braced for a fight, but he merely activated a switch that slid the shelf open to reveal an adjacent room. “This way.”

A chill ran down Caleb’s spine as he instantly recognized it as the classroom where he, and Astrid, and Eowulf had listened to Ikithon describe the threats to the Empire, and how to eliminate them. Where they learned how to be agents of the Empire. He hesitated, memories creeping in, then felt Jester as well as Nott take his hands, and Yasha’s hand briefly rest on his shoulder. He squeezed Jester’s hand before releasing it to reach into his pocket and pull out his diamond, turning it over in his fingers as they all stepped forward.

Beau and Fjord were the first ones in, and they stopped dead in their tracks, Beau letting out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a cry. Yasha rushed forward from the back and faltered when she saw the figure sitting in the room. There, on top of a desk, feet propped in a chair, in a deep black military styled uniform, tattoos barely visible and horns unadorned, was a familiar purple tiefling staring at them with a bored expression.

“Molly?” Yasha asked quietly.

“Who the hell is Molly?” The playful lilt was barely there, his expression stayed cold and disinterested.

“What did you do to him?” Beau demanded.

“I gave him a purpose. He came to me as a blank slate. No memories, no identity, no loyalties. So you see, you can try to take him with you, but he might decide he wants to stay. Although,” He paused, pretending to be considerate, “I could be persuaded to let him go with you if, perhaps, Caleb and Yasha took his place. Though I’m not sure how much you’d enjoy travelling with a stranger.”

“We’re his friends,” Nott challenged, “He’ll remember us! And we’re not leaving anyone behind!”

“Oh?” Ikithon raised a brow, “Then how about a little challenge. If you can get him to remember you, you can all be on your way. If not…” He eyed the group, “you _all_ work for me.”

Yasha looked at her unexpectedly found friends, who had stayed with her through so much, who she looked forward to coming back to, who she was starting to consider another family. She couldn’t ask them to give up their freedom, she would be able to get out but they might not. But when she met each of their gazes, saw them nod at her with their shoulders set and heads held high, she knew they would not lose.

“Deal.”

“Excellent. But, just to make this interesting,” Ikithon turned to Molly, “Keep the pale one and the wizard alive, only kill the others if you have to.” With that, he vanished.

Two daggers appeared from within Molly’s sleeves, nicking his fingers on the way out and beginning to glow. If there were any emotions in his eyes, they might have been murderous.

“Fucking shit!” Beau took a defensive position with her staff, “Come on man!”

“Molly,” Yasha stepped forward, hands up, sword sheathed, “Molly it’s us.”

Fjord summoned the Falchion but stayed at a distance, “C’mon Molly, we don’t want to hurt you.”

Molly didn’t respond, just slashed at Yasha, narrowly missing as she dodged at the last second. She backed up, still not drawing her sword, and tried to move around so they could flank him. He made another strike at her, just nicking her arm, before directing his attention to the group slowly forming a circle. Jester was nervously twisting her symbol of the traveler, debating whether to summon her spiritual weapon, and Caleb was fingering the diamond in his pocket as he tried to think of something to do.

“Molly!” Jester shouted, “Please don’t hurt us!”

“We’re your friends!” Nott added. “I know that sounds weird considering we’re a bunch of assholes but we’re your friends!”

Molly made another strike at Yasha before lashing out towards Jester, making her squeak as she was caught off guard. She managed to get her shield in front of her but only just barely. He made a double swing at Beau, catching her staff and grappling for a moment before she was able to push him off. The Might Nein closed in further, more wary and breathing a little heavier.

“Mister Mollymauk,” Caleb said gently, “I suggest that you listen to us.”

Molly’s head turned towards Caleb, tilting in confusion. The distraction was enough for Yasha to rush in and wrap her arms around him, pulling him to her chest tightly.

“Please, Molly, I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

One of his blades came up slowly, moving towards her back. Jester summoned her Spiritual Weapon right behind Yasha, ready to block the strike, but it never came.

Two glowing blades clattered to the ground, returning to their plain state. Two purple hands reached up and grabbed onto Yasha’s shawl, pulling her impossibly closer. No one dared move, not even to look at each other. The air was still as they held their breaths.

Molly pulled back from Yasha and looked around, taking a moment to meet each person’s gaze. As he looked last at Caleb, his lips began to curl upwards.

“Well, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a group of people more in need of a good time in my entire life.”

“ **Molly!** ”

Jester and Nott rushed forward to give Molly hugs of their own; he wrapped an arm around Jester and ruffled Nott’s hair. Beau gave him an unusually gentle punch on the arm, not looking as she tried to hide the tears in her eyes.

“Aw, just as unpleasant as ever,” Molly teased.

“Shut up you obnoxious fuck.” She discreetly wiped at her face, smiling.

Fjord put a hand on his shoulder “We were pretty worried about you for a sec’ there, y’alright?”

“Yeah, yeah I think I’ll be alright.” He turned to Caleb and grinned, “Miss me?”

“Na sicher. Willkommen zuhause.”

“I’m just going to assume that was a yes. So,” Molly clapped his hands together with a grin, “I propose we get out of this hellhole, get me into something with a little more color, and go have a night on the town.

Yasha smiled, “It’s good to have you back, Molly.”

“Very glad to be back. Let’s go make some noise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caleb says "Of course. Welcome home."


End file.
